


Secret Suitor

by Fire_Bear



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: (although Santa also doesn't exist in this AU), (though it doesn't exist in this AU), Christmas, Christmas Presents, Courting Rituals, M/M, Omega Verse, Secret Santa, Swordfighting, Swordplay, courting gifts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 02:39:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16966137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: Prince Alfred has a lot of strange ideas, but Arthur thinks this idea is the strangest one yet. For the winter festival, he wants everyone to give a gift to someone in secret.While Arthur is quick to get his gift and put the whole thing out of his mind, his own gift-giver is overly generous, sending Arthur multiple gifts over the days until the festival...





	Secret Suitor

**Author's Note:**

> I asked people on Tumblr to send me prompts, requests, etc. and someone wanted some SpUK. I tried to do something Christmassy while also trying to set in a different universe.

“What are you making, Arthur?” asked Kiku.

Arthur didn’t look up from his work. Carefully, purposefully, he poked his needle into the linen that was attached to his embroidery ring. Red thread followed as he pulled it through until it was taut. “A dragon,” he told Kiku without looking up.

“Really? Will that not be difficult?”

“Well,” said Arthur, pushing his needle through the linen again. “Francis claimed I could only embroider roses, so I decided to prove him wrong.”

“And you decided to do a dragon?” said Kiku with smothered laughter.

Finally looking up, Arthur shot Kiku a look, lips pursed. “It’s a tribute to the stories I love,” he said. “What are _you_ making?”

“Oh. Well,” said Kiku, the amusement vanishing as his cheeks turned pink. “I’m making a handkerchief. With a knight…” He trailed off and looked up, scanning the room until they locked on someone in the group of alphas nearby.

Following his gaze, Arthur easily spotted Prince Alfred, his blond hair and the reflection from his spectacles drawing the eye. He was handsome, even without the bright grins he provided for everyone who spoke with him. With his position as the next king, his pleasant yet strong scent and his work promoting omega equality, he was considered quite the catch by most of the kingdom. Those within his group of friends - his courtiers - thought he was a bit silly and didn’t hold the same hope as the rest of the kingdom did of being his future queen. They all saw how difficult it was to be one of the royals and had no desire to be one. All of them, however, acknowledged how handsome he was.

None of them had ever made or bought him a favour before.

“Are you sure you’re not making a prince?” Arthur teased Kiku. “And yourself a queen?”

“Hush, Arthur!” Kiku whispered, his cheeks turning red now.

“Well, I wish you luck,” Arthur said, going back to his embroidery. “I’m not interested in Alfred in that way and Feliciano is being courted by Ludwig.” He paused, looking over to where Matthew was curled in an armchair, so absorbed in his book that he wasn’t paying attention to the room whatsoever. “And Matthew may be his cousin but he _is_ eligible, I suppose…” Arthur trailed off, aware he wasn’t making things better with that statement.

“I know.” Kiku sighed. “And Matthew is much better suited to Alfred.”

Surprised, Arthur placed his work down on his lap, the white bright against his black trousers. He turned in his seat to look at Kiku sternly. Kiku, the person he felt closest to except for those of his family, was just as pretty as Matthew in Arthur’s opinion. Especially today. He had been given a hair clasp by his mother, pretty and silver and shaped like a large flower. It held back the hair on the right side of his face. Bright, shining brown eyes showed his intelligence, even if he mostly kept his opinions to himself. His silk shirt had a low neckline, showing off his collarbones and his gentle scent of spring blossoms. All in all, he’d be perfect as Alfred’s queen: someone who could make informed and smart choices in order to help their prince grow as a leader. So Arthur couldn’t understand why Kiku thought he wasn’t worthy.

“Why in the world would you think that?”

“Matthew is far prettier than me,” Kiku explained. “And he is far sweeter - in both scent and demeanour.”

“Don’t be so silly, Kiku. Alphas are attracted to you all the time. I’ve seen it.”

“I…”

“No,” said Arthur pointing his needle in Kiku’s direction. “You’ll be the one to attract Alfred’s attention.” He turned his head to survey their friends and was sure he saw Alfred looking in their direction. Nearby, he saw Gilbert and Ivan, postures threatening, as they snipped at each other. Both of them were looking in Matthew’s direction. “Besides, it looks as though Alfred would have competition for Matthew.”

Kiku cautiously looked up and Arthur watched as Alfred quickly turned his head to talk to Ludwig. Arthur pressed his lips together to keep from laughing, though he was sure his shoulders shook from the effort. When he glanced back at Kiku, the other omega was still scanning the room. Eventually, he returned to his work with a quiet, “Oh.”

“If you want to, we could ask Matthew if he wants Alfred to court him,” Arthur said, returning to his own embroidery. “Or we could ask Alfred if-”

“No!” exclaimed Kiku, so quickly that Arthur almost pricked himself with his needle. It was also so loud that, when Arthur glanced around, everyone was looking at them. He felt his own cheeks heat up and knew that Kiku had probably gone red. Even Matthew was looking at them, blinking the intense focus from his eyes to look at them with surprise. “I-” Kiku muttered and ducked his head. Arthur followed suit, hoping no-one would comment.

After all, Alfred’s parents allowed Alfred to have all his friends in the same room, but they had made sure everyone was aware that the omegas had to sit aside from the alphas and betas, quiet and unassuming as tradition dictated.

It was something that frustrated Arthur. He wanted to joke and drink with his friends in Alfred’s personal parlour. He wanted to talk about the world at large, the important issues. He wanted to discuss the things that happened around the Kirkland estate and the charity work that was needed due to a lack of rights for omegas and some betas who weren’t born as nobles. He wanted to _fix_ things to make the world better for himself and others. And he wanted to discuss fights and tournaments in the way that alphas were allowed to. He wanted to brag about his archery skills. He wanted to talk to his friends about how his private and _secret_ sword training was going - omegas weren’t _allowed_ to learn how to fight, weren’t allowed to go on the frontlines in a war.

Arthur wanted the _opportunity_ to choose to do all that. That was why, when his parents had encouraged him to become friends with Alfred with a goal of becoming the next queen (their goal, not his), he had accepted. After all, everyone knew that Alfred was going to change things as soon as he was crowned king. In the meantime, when Alfred’s parents were in the palace, they had to act as ‘proper’ omegas and alphas.

“Are you making more roses?” asked Francis, making Arthur jolt. He actually pricked his thumb that time and quickly jerked his hand up to suck on the stinging digit.

Glaring up at him, Arthur tilted his work away from the beta. He was close to Arthur, having obviously sneaked up on him while he had his head bent. As usual, his shoulder-length hair was pulled back with a blue ribbon to match his fancy royal blue shirt and tight black trousers. Peering down at Arthur’s work, Francis smirked, tilting his head this way and that in an attempt to sneak a peek.

Standing at his shoulder was Antonio, an alpha who Arthur would have expected to have stayed by Alfred’s side. His family was one of the furthest from the capital and focussed on the farms and their issues. Antonio was always telling Alfred about his concerns over the harvest and the amount of food, even if his parents usually told the king directly when they were in the city. Beside Alfred’s angelic and gentle looks, Antonio had the handsome appearance of someone whom omegas would regularly fall over themselves to get his attention. Ruffled, brown locks; luscious, green eyes; flawless, tanned skin; tight clothes that showed off the muscles he had from the physical labour he took upon himself to do at his family estate.

“No,” Arthur snapped at Francis, trying to ignore Antonio as much as possible. Every time he got close to Antonio, he could smell an earthy scent, something that reminded him of his estate’s garden. The garden was somewhere he could go for some peace and the smell made him relax, so Antonio’s scent could calm him - an unwelcome realisation he had come to some time ago as he wasn’t sure what that meant.

“Oh? What are you making, then?” Francis asked.

“None of your damn business,” Arthur told him, tilting his embroidery ring further away from him.

“Is it a different kind of flower?” Antonio piped up, drawing Arthur’s attention to him. The alpha was smiling, looking absolutely delighted to be where he was.

“No,” said Arthur shortly, frowning at him. “I can do other things.”

“Really?” asked Francis. “That’s the first _I’ve_ heard of it.”

Arthur’s eyes narrowed, debating whether to get to his feet or not. “Now, listen here, _you_ -”

“Hey, guys!” Alfred’s voice suddenly cut in. All of them turned to look at Alfred, even Matthew lifted his head. “You gotta listen to what I found out the last time I was in Andreda. The princess told me all about it.”

“All about what?” asked Elizaveta from where she had been having a conversation with Roderich, the two betas curled up on a chaise longue.

“Well, you know that Romcula, the god of winter accepts gifts to keep it from being a bad one,” Alfred explained. “And that’s why we give each other gifts on the shortest day of the year.”

“Everyone knows that, Your Highness,” Arthur quipped, raising an eyebrow.

Alfred rolled his eyes. “Anyway, in Andreda, they have a different god, I forget his name, but in winter, he fell in love with someone? Or, like, his kid was born. I forget. The point is, he gave his kid or whoever a single gift and the Andredans believed that they should only give _one person_ a gift during winter, to show that they could care just as deeply as a god.”

“That seems rather unfair,” Ludwig pointed out. “Someone could get more than one present every year, depending on who chooses to give them gifts.”

“Ah!” said Alfred, excitedly. “They have a way to make sure they don’t have situations like that. Hang on!” He darted off to the door, opening it to speak to someone outside, likely a palace servant.

“It’s another one of his ‘ideas’,” Arthur mumbled, remembering the time he had decided to hold a secret tournament _inside_ so that he could hide the fact that Arthur, Kiku and Matthew were taking part.

“I’m sure it’s a good one,” Kiku murmured in reply, eyes fixed on the prince.

Alfred returned to his place with an upturned flat cap, filled with multicoloured little strips of something. Arthur tilted his head up, trying to see what was it could possibly be. He didn’t have to wait for long to find out, however: Alfred lifted the cap and shook it. “They pick names out of a hat and that way it’s fair. Everyone’s name is in it only once, so only one present will be given.”

“Only one present doesn’t seem as fun…” Feliciano said, pouting a little. Ludwig was nodding by his side and Arthur had the feeling that Ludwig had wanted to give him courting gifts, just as Feliciano had wished for them.

“Well, no, I suppose not,” Alfred admitted. “I’m not limiting you to giving one gift. _And_ we don’t tell each other who we get so it’s a surprise who we’ll receive a present from.” He paused, looking around at the unimpressed faces surrounding him. “I just thought it’d be fun…” Alfred’s hand lowered and his shoulders drooped, pouting at the negative reception to this particular idea.

“I like it,” said Kiku from beside Arthur. It was so unexpected that Arthur jolted, turning his head to raise an eyebrow at him. Kiku looked at Alfred for a moment more before ducking his head. When he lifted it again, he turned to Arthur, his blush still evident. “It’s not as if we _need_ all the presents we are given.”

“Me too!” Antonio suddenly piped up. “I think it sounds like a nice idea. It is… It’s like we can dote on one person without worrying that our presents will get muddled up with others’ gifts. Right?”

“And we would save a lot of money,” Yao added, a beta whose only interest seemed to be building up his family’s reserves of gold.

After those comments, the room erupted into agreement and merriment. Everyone seemed to be excited to try something new. Arthur, however, was a little wary. He didn’t want to have to focus on _one_ person. It almost seemed more intimate than just a friendly gesture. Somehow, his eyes were drawn to Antonio, cheerfully talking to Feliciano’s alpha brother. Lovino seemed to be just as annoyed as Arthur, though Arthur was sure he was secretly just as excited. What would Arthur do if he had to give Antonio a present? Shaking his head, he turned back to Kiku who was clutching his handkerchief tightly.

“Maybe you’ll get Alfred,” Arthur suggested, unable to keep from smiling as Kiku quickly raised a hand to his chest, clutching at his shirt. “Don’t worry,” he added when Kiku gave him a panicked look. “I’ll help you if you do.”

Delighted at the change in everyone’s attitudes, Alfred grinned and bounded towards Antonio’s older brother, Henriques. With his serene smile and his long, silken hair, he was just as handsome as Antonio. However, Henriques’s mature air made him seem like a better catch to most omegas, especially when he was the one who would inherit Antonio’s estate. Also, while Antonio seemed carefree and could usually be found in the farms, Henriques was every inch the aristocrat.

If asked who he preferred, Arthur would decline to comment.

Henriques delicately plucked a slip of coloured parchment from the hat and flicked it open. One of his eyebrows raised and he folded it again to place into a pocket. Alfred nodded in approval and moved on.

By the time Alfred reached Arthur and Kiku, half of the names were gone. Alfred went to Kiku first, which Arthur smiled at. Still blushing, Kiku dipped his hand into the hat. The prince watched him intently and twitched a few times until, finally, Kiku plucked one from the hat. Arthur was surprised to see him taking a plain piece of parchment. Compared to the rest of the bright colours, it looked rather boring.

Alfred turned to Arthur next and he lifted a hand, planning on just grabbing the closest one. It was blue and Arthur’s fingers had barely brushed it when Alfred jerked. “Take the red one!” he declared. Looking up, Arthur could see Alfred’s fixed grin.

Scowling, Arthur abandoned both the one he had been about to take and the red one. “I’ll pick whichever one I want,” he snapped. And, casting his eyes over the rest of the slips of parchment and settled on a golden-yellow one. He plucked it from its place and glared up at Alfred who was pouting at him. After a moment, he sighed and moved on.

Once he’d left Arthur’s field of view, Arthur opened his parchment. The name upon it was _Yao_. He tried not to make a face. The beta was so obsessed with money, that he had most things people could think of and only craved expensive or exotic things. Arthur hated spending money he could be using for other things and now he’d have to get him something big to satisfy him. He would have to get his older, beta brother and his parents to help him find something, since he likely wouldn’t be allowed to publicly negotiate with a merchant, due to his status.

What he wouldn’t give for Alfred to be ascending to the throne this year.

Looking up, his eyes found Alfred again, the prince now in front of Antonio. The alpha eagerly plucked out a shiny green piece of parchment and opened it before Alfred had even stepped away. His eyes widened at what he saw there and his smile widened. Then, as if he could feel Arthur watching him, Antonio looked over, still grinning. Arthur quickly looked away, his heart thumping rather quickly.

Just then, there was a gasp from beside Arthur, distracting him from wondering about his reaction. Concerned, he twisted around in his seat, finding Kiku staring down at his piece of paper. His fellow omega didn’t seem to be breathing, just staring at the name on it. Arthur watched as Kiku raised a hand to his mouth, his trembling fingers brushing at his lips.

“What?” said Arthur, reaching for him but stopping short. “What is it?” In answer, Kiku turned the slip of parchment towards him. There, as clear as day, was the name _Prince Alfred_. “Oh.”

“I didn’t expect to actually get Alfred!” Kiku whispered. His voice bordered on a hiss, though Arthur knew that he was far too polite to do that. “What am I supposed to give him?!”

With a chuckle, Arthur pointed at Kiku’s embroidery. “Well, your handkerchief would be a nice start,” he said. He had to hold his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter when Kiku frowned at him, clearly displeased with his answer.

* * *

A week passed since Alfred had made his announcement. Arthur had already bought Yao’s gift, having consulted with his parents and brothers. Once he had explained the situation, they had scoured the city for a suitable present before returning with a unique and highly sought-after item. It was some sort of desk ornament, shaped like a little ship and divided into compartments, each one opened with a seashell handle. Inside, was enough room to hold precious things or, as Arthur supposed Yao might use it, for storing important scrolls and letters.

With the search for Yao’s present out of the way, Arthur was able to turn his attention to assisting Kiku. Not that he was able to help too much. Kiku’s self-consciousness meant that every idea was shot down - especially any that suggested courting in any fashion. He’d already bought some things before he’d decided not to give them to Alfred, his rooms becoming a mess of different, yet similar things: cute ornaments and swords and pieces of armour and jewellery. Arthur helped him where he could, but mostly let Kiku make his own decisions. He was sure Alfred would like whatever his friend gave him.

It was after spending a day at Kiku’s townhouse, that Arthur came home to find something waiting for him. His mother opened the door to him, smiling slyly. Arthur had narrowed his eyes and followed her through their mansion until they reached his room. On his table, sat a a box decorated with a shining, green ribbon. When he asked who had sent it, his mother had declined to comment, so he’d ushered her out the door in case it had been sent by Francis.

Now, he looked at it, perplexed. Was this from his secret gift-giver? Alfred had told them that they would all exchange gifts on the day of the festival, in the morning before all the festivities. So why had they sent it to him now? And was it actually from the gift-giver or was it from someone else? How would he be able to tell? There was no tag or accompanying note, not outside the box at least.

Sighing heavily, Arthur reached out and gripped the end of the ribbon between thumb and forefinger. His sharp eyes noticed that, though it seemed neat enough, the loops were slightly off-centre. He dismissed all of the omegas he knew, all of whom would have made sure it sat neatly. So, taking a deep breath, he pulled at the ribbon and watched as it slid across the box and onto the table beside it.

When he lifted the lid - with a bit of a struggle, the rest of the box fell away. Something fluttered to the floor, but Arthur could only stare at what the box had revealed, his breath hitching. There, pride of place in the middle of its wrappings, was a beautiful sewing box. The lid was made with glass to reveal the various needles of different sizes, the threads of every colour, the scissors that shone in the sunlights still streaming in from the windows. Its lid was curved slightly and it was also decorated with delicate glasswork. Little roses and vines wound around it, understated yet beautiful. The box itself was made from varnished wood, oak, Arthur guessed. On the sides were carvings of fairies, pretty little things that Arthur had loved from childhood.

Arthur could hardly believe how gorgeous it was.

Remembering that something had fallen, Arthur looked for it and leaned down to scoop up a piece of parchment. It was flat, so Arthur turned it over and stared at the words. _I know you enjoy your embroidery and I think it’s beautiful - just like you._ There was no name or signature and Arthur was left to wonder at who could have given him such a thing.

* * *

A few days later, and Arthur still didn’t know who had sent him the gift and the compliment. He had discussed it with Kiku and Matthew, but neither of them could help him. After mulling it over, he had decided not to dwell on it. There was no point on getting worked up over it when he could find out on the day of the winter festival.

So, instead, continued with his life, including his sparring practise. While Kiku’s family encouraged him to continue their traditions from before their lands were incorporated into the kingdom, and Matthew’s family had allowed his cousin to drag him to the young prince’s sword lessons, Arthur had had to get lessons in secret. His beta brother knew about it and he had the feeling his alpha brothers had a suspicion, but he’d made sure to keep it from his parents. And so, he sneaked out of his house at his usual time, when he knew neither of his parents would come looking for him, gripping his secret sword and heading to the usual courtyard.

This courtyard was at the very back of their estate. The Kirklands had a mansion upon a plot of land which they had given over to those of their neighbours who had difficulty maintaining a business or a farm. It had resulted in a large piece of it for the mansion and its gardens and orchard and woods and meadows before it led into a town which had steadily grown larger. Beyond that were some farms and some smaller settlements. The people who lived and worked there were not required to pay any money and only left the estate when they needed to trade. As for the mansion, due to this charity and the hard-working, grateful people, it was self-sustaining. Most of the major nobles’ estates were like this, as they had once been small kingdoms before they had all merged into one, larger kingdom under the Jones’ line.

At the back of the estate, in one of the settlements, was a courtyard that was so far out of the Kirklands’ way that they had never addressed the hole in the wall that separated the estate from the rest of the kingdom. It allowed people to come and go without being seen by the Kirklands’ guards, though no-one was stupid enough to do anything illegal. Instead, Arthur met with Henriques, the only alpha who was willing to teach him to fight or the only one Arthur was willing to put up with.

When he reached the courtyard on that particular day, however, it wasn’t Henriques who was waiting for him. Instead, as Arthur approached, he realised that the man’s hair was shorter, his skin slightly browner, his posture much more relaxed. Brow furrowing, Arthur picked up the pace, trying to push down his annoyance so that Antonio wouldn’t notice it in his scent.

“What are _you_ doing _here_?” Arthur demanded.

Antonio smiled at him, clearly quite happy. “I’m filling in for Henriques. He has to get Natalya a gift, despite her not being there when we all picked names.”

“Why didn't he just cancel the lesson?” Arthur asked, perplexed.

“I offered to do it for him when he was talking about it and so…” Antonio spread his arms wide, his red tunic bright against the stone. Arthur could see that his sword was at his hip, shifting slightly as Antonio did. The weapon drew Arthur’s attention to the tight trousers he was wearing, a rather plain brown for how expensive they must have been.

Before he could spiral down a certain, impolite train of thought, Arthur fixed Antonio with a displeased look. “Why do you think _I_ want you to help?”

Shoulders slumping, Antonio looked away, his head ducked down. “I… Well, I just thought you would want to keep up your practicing, even in his absence. I think it’s a good thing that you’re learning this…” He glanced back up, a weak smile on his face.

Arthur pursed his lips, well aware that Antonio was correct. After all, that was why he was still coming down to the courtyard whenever Henriques had a free day. He didn’t exactly want to do it with Antonio - there was no doubt in his mind that he would be distracted if Antonio was around. His pleasant scent was growing on Arthur and he could feel his heart pounding harder than it should have been. It would also be rather rude to send Antonio away after he had come all this way…

“Fine,” he said, reluctantly. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Oh, don’t be like that!” Antonio protested, though he had brightened considerably at Arthur’s acceptance. “I’m sure this is going to be fun!”

Rolling his eyes, Arthur unsheathed his sword and threw the scabbard aside. “This is serious, Antonio. Don’t belittle it.”

“Ah. I apologise,” Antonio said, pulling out his own blade.

“You can apologise once I’ve beaten you,” Arthur told him, and leapt forward.

Even though Antonio hadn’t looked particularly prepared for Arthur’s abrupt attack, he was still able to block Arthur’s sword. With a sliding motion, he pushed Arthur’s sword away from him and swung at him. Arthur barely dodged backwards in time. Bringing his sword up, Arthur used both hands to bring it swiping downwards, careful to keep the tip of it just short of slicing into Antonio’s head. While Henriques always used a blunted sword, Arthur’s was sharp enough to cut, as had been evidenced by his minor injuries and the few times that Henriques had needed bandages.

Strangely, his sword caught Antonio’s and it slipped from his hands. It clattered to the ground and Arthur blinked down at it; that had been almost _too_ easy. Raising his gaze, he found that Antonio had his hands raised in surrender. “It looks as though Henriques has been teaching you well.”

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t mock me!” he snapped. “You just _let_ me win, didn’t you?!”

Pretty eyes widening, Antonio frantically shook his head. “N-No. Of course not. You caught me off-guard-”

“Don’t treat me like I’m made of glass! I’m not-” Arthur paused, frustrated and flattered and a complete mess of emotions. “Don’t treat me like an omega.”

“Oh,” said Antonio. “Right. Then let’s get serious.” He leaned down to pick up his sword and backed up a little, raising it.

Again, Arthur could only blink at him for a moment: his whole demeanour had changed. Gone was his soft smile and cheerfulness. Now, he looked determined, focussed, brow furrowed as he concentrated. A shiver ran down Arthur’s spine a split second before he smelled the sharp, spicy scent emanating from Antonio. He had to inhale deeply through his nose to keep from making a sound, attracted to this side of Antonio just as much as when Antonio acted as he normally did. Mentally shaking himself, Arthur tried to ignore his own thoughts, raising his sword in readiness.

He’d barely gotten himself into a fighting stance when Antonio launched himself at Arthur. Startled, Arthur brought up his weapon to block it and only just managed to hold him off. Antonio was using a lot more force than Arthur was used to – Henriques had been holding back on him. Arthur’s heart was pounding, his breathing harsh, worry flashing through him as Antonio attacked again and again. Before too long, Arthur’s grip on his sword fumbled and he had to duck under a swing from Antonio. He hadn’t been expecting it and overbalanced, toppling backwards.

Antonio immediately held out a hand to help him up, his frown of concentration becoming a grimace. Hesitantly, Arthur let Antonio pull him to his feet. “That…” Arthur murmured, trying to find the words between his panting breaths.

“You’re not keeping your weight low enough,” Antonio told him. “And you need to-” Antonio backed off to swing his sword around. “You need to turn our parries into attacks,” he explained, demonstrating by holding his sword up against an imaginary opponent.

For a moment, Arthur stared at him, dumbfounded. Antonio was actually helping him. Arthur hadn’t expected that, hadn’t expected him to be so sincere. Something about that made his chest tighten. “Well, hm, anything else?” Arthur asked, voice quiet.

Smiling, Antonio moved forward to help him. In fact, Arthur was sure he’d learnt more with Antonio in that one session than he had in the multiple ones he’d had with Henriques. Arthur decided to take that up with Henriques later and concentrated on what Antonio was telling him, applying it to their spars. Time became something to be unconcerned with, flying by as they worked. Arthur even found himself smiling, Antonio’s returning grins bright and warm.

Everything came crashing down, however, when Arthur’s parry slipped, his muscles groaning, his chest heaving, his body tiring. He managed to keep hold of his sword, just like Antonio had taught him, but Arthur’s arms were sent flying to the side. Antonio’s sword, continued with its momentum and caught on Arthur’s arm, slicing into him even as Antonio jerked it away. Gasping at the burning pain which shot through him, Arthur stumbled aside and dropped his sword, clutching at his injury.

“Oh, no, Arthur!” Antonio cried, casting his own blade aside and rushing to his side. “Are you okay? Let me see!”

“Wait, fool!” Arthur started, but it was no use. Before he could pull away, Antonio grabbed hold of Arthur’s sleeve and, without any hesitation, he ripped it apart. Arthur couldn’t help but gasp at the display of alpha strength and, when he breathed in, he could smell Antonio’s usual scent, underlaid with something rotten, like the ruined tomatoes thrown by displeased subjects in the omega protests. When he looked down, Arthur could see that there was a long, shallow cut across his upper arm, the blood trickling down to make it look worse than it was.

“I am so, _so_ sorry, Arthur!” Antonio exclaimed. “I should have brought a blunted blade, but I don’t have one and I-”

“Stop,” Arthur said, his surprise fading in the wake of Antonio’s fussing. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. I can’t believe I-”

Sighing at Antonio’s despairing expression, Arthur pushed at Antonio’s shoulder in order to put some space between them. That made Antonio look all the more miserable and Arthur decided that he couldn’t have that. Ignoring the pain, Arthur raised both hands to cup Antonio’s face. “Enough,” Arthur ordered him. “It’s not that bad. I’ll live. But we should stop here – I have to get this bandaged and I should really get back to the house. If my parents realise that I’ve gone…”

Antonio’s eyes widened. “You’re doing this without your parents’ permission?”

“Of course I am,” Arthur told him, rolling his eyes. “They don’t understand why I want to do this.”

“Why do you?” Antonio asked, his worry giving way to curiosity.

“I want to be able to protect this kingdom. I want to protect my people. I don’t want to be holed up in a house somewhere, watching people die in order to keep me safe.”

“But what if people _want_ to protect _you_?” Antonio said.

Pulling away from Antonio, Arthur glanced down at his arm. “As long as they don’t treat me as if I’m incompetent.” He looked up at Antonio, who was staring at Arthur’s wound, fingers twitching. It made something swell within Arthur, making him feel warm all over. Quickly, he looked away from Antonio, his eyes settling on his sword. “I must go,” he told Antonio.

“Oh,” said Antonio, quiet for once. Arthur didn’t dare look at him, only grabbed his sword, sheathed it and hurried off, trying to ignore the urge to return to Antonio’s side. Before he had gotten to the street he would need to make his way down, Antonio called out to him. “I’ll see you in a few days, when we gather to see the prince, yes?”

With a quick nod, Arthur forced himself to move, retreating from the alpha in a timely manner.

Thankfully, there was someone who lived in the settlement closest to the mansion who was willing to patch him up without informing his parents. She even gave him some sort of tea to help with the pain that wouldn’t affect other bodily functions. Nevertheless, Arthur made sure to have an excuse ready, should his parents discover this particular incident. Nobody at the house seemed to have noticed his absence, though, and a day passed without any excitement.

Then, on the evening after they had sparred, a box appeared. According to a servant, they had been handed it by someone who was cloaked. She had been unable to discern who it was or where they had come from. Whoever it had been, they had intended it for Arthur and he was shocked to be handed it. Upon seeing his parents and brothers peeking around a doorframe, Arthur took it to his room.

The box itself was, once again, tied with pretty green ribbon. It was slightly smaller than the first one. There was no way of knowing what was inside of it, no tag or explanation. Arthur wondered why the person was giving him yet another present. He hadn’t exactly been supportive of the idea and he’d been sure the person would think that one present was enough for him. Clearly, though, they hadn’t and it filled Arthur with a pleasant warmth.

Carefully, Arthur tugged on the end of the ribbon and lifted the lid. He watched in awe as the box fell apart to reveal a small teddy bear. It had brown ‘fur’ and beady, black eyes. A smile had been sewn into it, cheerful and friendly. However, it was wearing a breastplate. Where the insignia would be on a knight’s armour, the Kirkland coat of arms had been etched by someone beautifully skilled. In one hand, a tiny toy sword had been stuck with some glue. Between its arms was a note.

Still stunned with the cute gift, Arthur was slow to pick up the piece of plain parchment. He stared down at the words, still unsure as to who could have sent it to him. The words there made him smile, his heart fluttering.

_I know that you take your duties very seriously. I am sure you will work hard to help your people. But you need someone to protect and care for you. I hope this little knight will be able to help you with that._

After that, Arthur kept receiving gifts. Sometimes they were left at the front door with a big tag which told them who it was for. Other times, they were placed into the arms of a passing servant without a word. There were also times that the servants were lucky enough to be given the package with an entreaty. From what they said, it was a different person every time, as though someone was sending someone else in order to conceal who they were.

Soon, Arthur had been given several things he was pleased to receive: a beautiful emerald fan, with golden stitching to depict a floral design, apparently so that he could draw attention to his beautiful eyes; a leather jacket, expertly made and exactly the right size, for him to us when he was out riding; a ceramic vase, painted with green and yellow and red, so that he had somewhere to put the flowers his many suitors were likely planning on giving to him; a box of little marzipan figures, bunnies and cats and birds in flight, so that he could taste how sweet he was; a silk scarf, red with large, green leaves, for him to keep the cold at bay. After the third gift, Arthur began to wonder… The amount of gifts he was receiving and the _types_ of gifts, Arthur became suspicious of the gift-giver’s intentions.

They were beginning to look a lot like courting gifts.

No-one could work out who it could be. Or no-one would tell him. And the person must have realised that he would know their scent and had sprayed the presents with anti-scent perfumes. So Arthur decided to put it out of his mind as much as he could. He helped Matthew find two gifts - there had been some sort of mix-up, apparently, and he ended up having to get gifts for two people. And Kiku was constantly changing what he was doing - save for one thing which Arthur did his best to help him with, though he wasn’t sure he did any good.

Slowly but surely, the winter festival grew closer and Arthur hoped he would be able to meet his mystery gift-giver.

* * *

On the day they were exchanging gifts, Alfred made them sit in a  circle. He encouraged those who wanted to stay anonymous to leave their gifts by the door so that a servant could bring them in when they were ready. Everyone else had them sitting at the edges of the room, waiting to hand them over personally. Arthur had left his at the door: once he’d sat down, he’d noticed that Antonio brought in a box, placing it under his chair. There was a ribbon on it - though, since Antonio was at the other side of the room, Arthur couldn’t tell what colour it was.

As soon as everyone had arrived, Alfred bounded into the centre of the circle. “Now we’re all here, let’s start! When I say your name, whoever is supposed to give you a gift can come forward.”

“Oh, no,” Kiku whispered from beside Arthur. “That means that I’ll have to give Alfred my gift last…”

Glancing at Kiku, Arthur could see how his hands were trembling despite being clutched together in his lap. His was one of the presents already in the room with them and Arthur knew how anxious Kiku was for Alfred’s reaction. Arthur looked back to Alfred who was grinning around at them, eyes bright. Taking a deep breath, Arthur stood, well aware that he could get into a lot of trouble if any of the older nobles or the king and queen found that he had spoken out.

“Your Highness,” he said, catching Alfred’s startled attention. “Before we do that, perhaps you should receive yours first?” Arthur ignored the gasp from beside him. “After all, I’m sure you’ll get impatient to see what yours is before too long.”

“Oh.” Alfred blinked at him and, for a split second, his eyes flicked to Arthur’s left. He tried his hardest not to smirk when Alfred returned his attention to Arthur. “That’s true. Then… _whoever_ has got my present should come forward now.”

“ _Arthur_ ,” Kiku hissed, his eyes wide and staring at Arthur as the omega sat back down.

“Go on,” Arthur whispered back, smiling at him in a show of encouragement.

Sighing, Kiku stood and made his way to the edge of the room, where he picked up a couple of boxes, one that was significantly larger than the other. Carefully, he stepped back through the circle of chairs and made his way to Alfred. Arthur watched with excitement, looking forward to when he revealed what he had been making. As Kiku held them out to Alfred - who had seemed to falter now that Kiku was so close to him - Arthur’s eyes wandered and he found himself looking at Antonio. His eyes widened as he realised that Antonio was already looking at him. Antonio smiled at him, something that was fond and sweet and Arthur had to turn his head to look at Kiku.

Grinning again, Alfred took the top, smaller box and quickly tore the ribbon off. The excitement was clear in his scent, the metallic smell of a flint making sparks and the overly sweet chocolate smells spreading throughout the room. Uncaring of who was nearby, Alfred tossed the lid behind him and pulled out the item in question, touching it with tenderness. Light glinted off it and everyone leaned forward to see.

Having seen it already, Arthur only smiled at the awe he could see on his friends’ faces. Some of Kiku’s people were skilled in making artistic ornaments and had taught Kiku how to blow glass. He had spent the last few weeks perfecting a small tree, upon which hung important items. An eagle, a crane, various flowers, a crown. They all swung where they dangled and tinkle quietly as Alfred stared at it.

“And, um,” said Kiku, quietly. He took the lid off the other box. Again, Arthur knew what was in it: a thousand paper cranes and, sitting pride of place atop it, the handkerchief that Kiku had been embroidering. Arthur watched Alfred cautiously lift the handkerchief away with a certain amount of pride. “We… have a legend in my family,” Kiku explained. “Once, one of my ancestors had lost their mate. They wished for their return so fervently that one of the old gods descended upon them and told them that, should they want him to bring their mate back, then they would need to gather a thousand cranes and bring them back to the god.

“It was impossible, so they thought to make the cranes from paper. When they took them to the god, they all became real and the god was so happy that they and their mate lived a long and happy life. So, now, we make a thousand paper cranes to make sure our wishes come true. I…” Kiku faltered and ducked his head, almost bowing to Alfred. “I thought that you could use them to grant your own wish.”

“Oh.” Alfred was quieter than usual and Arthur couldn’t help feeling pleased, sure Kiku’s present had done the job of drawing Alfred’s attention. Not that Kiku hadn’t had it beforehand, of course, but Arthur was sure that Alfred would now act on this information. Perhaps Kiku would also have his wish come true. “Thank you,” Alfred said, sounding a little dazed.

A short silence passed. Finally, Yao spoke up. “Should we carry on while you are… busy?”

Alfred jerked as if he’d been hit, fumbling with the little glass tree. Kiku threw a glare in Yao’s direction and Arthur frowned as well. If Alfred had dropped that… Thankfully, Alfred was quick to replace it in its box. “I’ll find somewhere to keep them. And… I think I’ll have my wish granted soon enough. Um…” He looked up then, eyes darting around until they landed on Arthur. The omega raised an eyebrow, wondering what he wanted. “Okay. Right. Whoever has Arthur’s present should come forward.”

Almost as soon as Alfred had said Arthur’s name, Antonio stood from his seat and hurried through the gaps between the seats. Arthur stared after him, eyes wide. Did this mean…? Was this who had…? He didn’t get much chance to dwell on it, for Antonio was quick to return, a rather squat, wide box in his hands. Arthur assumed that it was something delicate, since he held it so carefully.

All too soon, Antonio stood in front of him, where Arthur sat frozen in his seat. “This is for you, Arthur,” Antonio said, voice kind and scent pleasantly earthy. “As were all the others.”

“That…” Arthur found he had no other words and, for lack of something to do, he stood up to receive his present. “But… you were only supposed to give me one present…”

“I know,” Antonio said. “But I wanted to give you more. Here.”

Hesitantly, Arthur took the box, staring down at it. He chanced a glance up at Antonio to find his benign smile. So he removed the very same green ribbon and lifted the lid off the box, making sure he kept his hand flat on the bottom of it. Sure enough, the sides of the box fell away to reveal something which took his breath away.

Golden metal twisted around itself to make a circle, each cylindrical part separate and yet intertwined. Also intertwined with it was rose gold metal which sprouted a leaf every few inches. Then a dozen small roses of a thin metal had been attached, each one painted red. The circle was wide enough to fit on his head and he could see that none of the bits of metal which came to a point were on the bottom. In other words, it was a permanent flower crown.

And also a common courting gift.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur also realised something else. This crown had had no perfume sprayed upon it. He could smell Antonio’s scent from it, though he supposed it could be because he was standing so close. When he unconsciously drew the present to him and sniffed at it, though, he realised that the scent was thick upon it. Apparently, Antonio had purposefully left his scent upon this final gift.

Another common thing to have for a courting gift.

Breath caught, Arthur dragged his eyes up to stare at Antonio. Usually alphas asked to court in a private setting. Or they went through the parents and made it official that way. Doing this here either meant that Antonio was confident in Arthur’s response or that he hadn’t considered something like that. It was almost as if he was shirking the social traditions expected of him: Arthur doubted that Antonio’s parents would be pleased that Antonio wanted to court someone from a family who used most of their land as gardens rather than farming ground.

To Arthur, it seemed as though Antonio was trying to tell him that he wanted to change people’s views of omegas and alphas. Or, at least, that was what he hoped he meant. Because Arthur could feel his heart beating fast, could feel the way he was breathless, could feel the flush in his cheeks, could feel the pleased tingling over his body. He had no doubt that the others could smell it, too, and that suspicion was proved correct when Antonio stepped closer to pluck the crown from Arthur’s hands.

“Well?” asked Antonio, looking right into Arthur’s eyes. The alpha’s eyes were just as pretty as ever, twinkling with happiness. “Do you accept?”

Arthur nodded. “Y-Yes,” he said, struggling to speak through his elation and nerves.

“Thank you,” said Antonio and reached up. Arthur ducked his head to allow Antonio to place the flower crown on his head and revelled in the fact that Antonio’s calming, lovely scent enveloped him. Once he had put the crown on Arthur’s head, Antonio lowered his hands and used both of them to take one of Arthur’s. Before Arthur could say anything, Antonio lifted it to his mouth and pressed a kiss to it: Arthur felt warmth spread through him at the touch, his lips unable to lower from their giddy smile. “Perhaps we can attend the festival together?”

“Yes,” Arthur said, rather quickly, heart beating wildly.

“Finally!” Alfred suddenly exclaimed and they parted, Arthur collapsing into his seat, his knees weak. Looking up, Arthur found that Alfred was grinning, a gleam in his eyes. “I thought you’d never ask him, Toni!”

Antonio’s cheeks turned pink and he spun on his heel to scurry back to his seat. Arthur watched him go, still feeling stunned. Once he was over his surprise, Arthur knew that he would be happier than he had ever been before. The weight of the crown called his attention and the thought of all the other gifts had a thought occurring to him.

For Arthur, the best gift was clearly Antonio himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Some additional bits:  
> Alfred had Kiku and he gave him a fancy, matching necklace and bracelet - and also asked Kiku to court him. To which he said yes.  
> Alfred got Kiku's name because he didn't put in Kiku's name in the first place.  
> Matthew was given a piece of paper with two names - Ivan and Gilbert. And the two of them were... encouraged to pick two slips of paper with Matthew's name on both.  
> (Basically, Alfred was being a matchmaker - maybe he got the idea from Francis...)


End file.
